Roses of Red and Black
by Lollipop1141
Summary: Lance crushes the dark red rose petal in his hand. He thinks it is Allura. He tells her so. She loves him back. The flowers do not stop growing. a Klance HANAHAKI AU. collab with Nightshade268, but can be read as a standalone.


**So I wrote this before season 8 happened. And after season 8...well...let's just say I didn't agree on some parts of it. Also, this is part 2 of Nightshade268's 'Butterflies Still Roam in Abandoned Gardens'. It's another collab, but NO WAY am I putting angst in here. (or not much hehehe) You can read that first or this, either way is fine. Each one is a standalone, they're just both Hanahaki AUs.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own VLD. If I did, I'd give everyone an ending they deserved, most especially a character arc for Lance.**

* * *

Lance didn't know when it started, only that what he thought was a normal cold had turned into something that sent him wheezing after five minutes when normally he could go on for another 30 without having to catch his breath.

They were liberating another planet that was under the control of stray Galra rebels and Lance was lagging behind, shaking his head in an effort to stay focused. The air was scorching hot, but he was shivering from a crawling chill inside.

"Lance, what's your status?" Keith's voice came over in the comms.

Leaning on the wall, he slid down, clutching his bayard close to his chest as laser guns shot out from the other side.

"Lance?" There was a hint of urgency in Keith's voice that shouldn't send his heart skipping a beat, but it did. Along with another sharp squeeze in his lungs.

Coughing, he turned on his comms and replied, "I'm here, don't get your boxers in a twist."

He could hear a grumble from the other side and chuckled. "Sentries are shooting at me. I'll need a distraction to divert their attention for a while."

"Got you covered," Pidge replied, tapping in codes from a different control center. A few seconds later, an explosion set off from the far right.

With about 5 seconds under his belt, Lance dashed across the floor, shooting down Galra sentries without missing a beat. Skidding down, he slipped under the control panel and shot it, dismantling the panel and plugging in the drive Pidge had given him.

"I'm in!" Pidge called out.

"Now get out of there!"

Lance scrambled up to his feet, running off towards another exit. Just before he could go through the door, he collapsed in a fit of coughs.

Frantic shouts of his name shot off through the comms as he curled into himself. Pain burned through his throat. It felt like acid coming up, but what he pulled out was a bloody rose in near bloom.

Fear gripped him from the inside. To think it would progress this quickly...he couldn't help but let out a slight whimper.

"Lance, are you okay?" Allura called out.

Hunk was in near hysterics. "Buddy, you gotta get out of there!"

"Lance, sound off!" Keith ordered.

"I'm here," Lance replied hoarsely, wiping off the blood from his chin. Struggling up his feet, he stumbled out, wincing as his shield held off the rest of the laser guns. "Just got a little sidetracked."

"I'm coming to get you."

Lance nearly tripped as Keith said that. Feeling heat crawling up his cheeks, he sputtered, "N-No need. I can handle myself just fine. Or are you saying that I can't get myself out of here?"

"Stop being ridiculous. I'm saying that I'm backing you up."

Well then, there was no getting out of this one. With a groan, Lance hurried away from the room, determined to distance himself from the evidence of bloody rose petals that signified his worsening sickness.

Running backward as he shot off each sentry in the head, he nearly missed the left turn, if not for Keith crashing on him. With a squawk, they both toppled on the ground.

"Get off! You're heavy." Lance groaned.

Keith leaned back and both of them froze as realization dawned upon them on their compromising position. For a moment, the war fell away as their eyes locked, hearts beating in sync. That moment shattered as a laser bullet grazed Keith's helmet.

Cursing under his breath, Keith twisted around, slicing through the sentry and pulling Lance up his feet. They rushed out, with Keith at the front, mowing through enemy lines like a hurricane while Lance watched his back, never missing a target.

A few minutes later, Red had crashed through the side of the ship and snatched the two paladins quickly in her mouth. Within minutes, they returned to the Atlas's lion hangars where Allura then wormholed them out of the galaxy system.

...

Lance panted as he leaned over the toilet seat, the water tinged red with scattered rose petals floating around. Spitting out the last glob of bloody saliva, he flushed it down and began cleaning himself up.

Of course, out of all the flowers in the world, what he had was the most cliché red almost black rose of the bunch. Talk about romantic.

He looked at his complexion in the mirror and grimaced. His eyes were red-rimmed, dark eye bags prominent underneath. His cheeks had already started hollowing out.

Sighing, Lance took out a tube of concealer and began his extensive routine of making his face look at least human and not an extra zombie in the Walking Dead.

The Hanahaki Disease wasn't news to him. A friend of his – Jenny – had fallen in love with him. Of course, the ending was inevitable. Lance couldn't return her feelings.

But Jenny didn't die. Instead, she had taken surgery to take out the flowers in her lungs before it could spread any further. It was a long expensive progress, but it worked.

Unfortunately, the curse of the Hanahaki Disease didn't stop there.

She had forgotten him.

They weren't really close, sharing a few classes where they were desk neighbors and exchanging inside jokes behind Iverson's back. Lance had considered her a friend. She considered him more than that.

It hurt, being forgotten.

As he dabbed the product on his face, he wondered what Allura would think if he told her.

Not that he would want to guilt trip her into accepting, of course! And his mama raised him better than to lead a lady on just to find out if she really was the one.

Besides, he felt that they were starting to get closer together, and may he dare say, start to like each other. He blushed at the thought, but there was a painful squeeze in his chest.

He promptly ignored the nagging at the back of his head, insistent on reminding him his growing obsession with a certain mullet head.

As he finished, he grinned at the deceptively healthy glow on his face. What magic makeup could do.

...

Lance sighed, cheek resting on the countertop. Hunk raised an eyebrow at him, but continued stirring his mixture. "What's up, buddy?"

"How do you ask somebody out on a date?" Lance asked, face still on the counter.

Hunk's jaw fell and then turned into a big grin. "Oh oh oh, is it Allura? Tell me it's Allura. No wait, is it Keith? I've seen the way you check him out during training."

Lance head shot up, eyes widened. "Wha – huh – Keith? That's – no! No no no no nope, no way! You're – that's absurd. Keith? Ha! Not with that mullet of his."

Hunk blinked. "Lance. I was just joking."

Lance balked and then coughed. "Of course. I knew that."

Hunk give him a once over, and then returned to his easy going smirk. "So it's Allura."

Lance turned red. "Well, who else would it be? I mean, she's beautiful and amazing. Who wouldn't fall for her?"

"True." Hunk shrugged. "Just ask her out. No big deal."

"Oh it's a very Big Deal." Lance said, palms slapping the table. "She's a princess! A peasant like me just can't go and ask her out – I mean, I'd need to get permission from Coran and I don't even know the Altean customs of courting and-"

"Woah woah woah, slow down, buddy." Hunk set down the bowl and clasped his hands on Lance's shoulders. "You're just asking her out on a date, not for her hand in marriage."

Lance looked like he wanted to protest, but Hunk wasn't having any of that. "Besides, you're a Paladin of Voltron. I'm pretty sure that title's gotta mean something, especially on Altea. Coran's gonna accept you just fine."

"I guess." Lance said quietly. "Maybe you're right."

"I'm always right." Hunk said with a wink.

"Now that's up for debate." Lance laughed.

…

After an hour of interrogation from Coran, in which Lance was pretty sure he was scarred for life, he seeked out Allura. Lance and Hunk peeked out from the corner of the hallway, watching the princess chatting with Romelle.

"I can't do this." Lance hissed nervously. "Maybe we can leave this for another day-"

"Nope." With that, Hunk pushed him out and dragged him towards the princess.

The two Alteans turned to the two paladins in curiosity. Allura smiled. "Lance. Hunk."

"Hi, princess." Hunk greeted cheerfully. "Lance here has something he'd like to ask. Alone. In private."

The last part of that sentence was directed to Romelle who quickly caught on the situation. With a grin, she stepped away and said, "Well then, we'll leave you two alone."

And with that, Hunk and Romelle dashed off, leaving a confused Allura and a shy Lance behind. The princess turned to Lance. "What is it you wanted to ask me?"

"Well – I – uhh," Lance rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Since the war's over and all that, I noticed you've been working hard with the coalition. And I thought it'd be good if you had a break, seeing as we were busy fighting Haggar and all that. But now that everything's died down, I was hoping to show you around. The world. Together. Alone."

"Like, a date?" Allura said, eyes widening at the implication of his request.

Lance blushed and looked down, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "Yeah, something like that."

He waited with bated breath. Allura reached out and slowly tangled her fingers with his. He looked up to her equally blushing face as she said softly, "I'd love that. Thank you."

Lance sighed with relief. Feeling a little bit more confident, he said, "So, princess, I know the Earth hadn't really given you a warm welcome, especially in the food department. So this is me bringing you out to try the best the Earth can offer."

Allura lit up. "What are we trying?"

…

"Ice cream?" Allura tilted her head as she surveyed the scone that Lance held out to her. "It looks quite like milkshake. Although it seems frozen."

"Yep!" Lance said with a grin. "The best delicacy on a hot summer day, especially when you're out here in the desert."

He had flown them to Italy where he claimed was the best place that made ice cream – or more specifically, gelato. They walked down the cobblestoned street, some parts still in patches from the war. But the smiles of the people were that of relief that the war was over. Humanity may have been surrounded by calamities, but they'd still get back up.

She gingerly took it from his hands and bit into the strawberry goodness. Her eyes widened and she moaned in delight. "This is amazing! It's like a frozen milkshake! How has this not been discovered around the galaxy yet?"

Lance chuckled as he bit into his. "Probably 'cause we've got cows here. We use whole milk, eggs, and sugar as base, and then the rest as flavoring, like strawberries."

"Oh, this flavor isn't from a cow?" Lance shook his head. Allura looked at his chocolate ice cream. "Then what about yours? Is that from a brown cow?"

Lance laughed at that. "Oh no, chocolate is from a type of bean. Even if cows come in different colors, their milk still tastes the same." After a bit of contemplation, he held out his ice cream and said shyly, "do you want to try mine?"

Allura paused and with a slight blush and an eager grin, said, "Don't mind if I do."

Another sound of delight escaped her and Lance couldn't stop smiling at that. It had been awhile since he'd seen Allura let loose from her leadership position and just enjoy herself. He was reminded once more that despite her being 10,000 years old, her Altean age was equivalent to that of a teenager.

"Are there more of these concoctions?" Allura asked as she finished her ice cream in record time. She didn't even get brain freeze which Lance was envious of.

Lance turned to the ice cream stand and surveyed the menu. "Well, there's a variety of berries, caramel, rocky road, bananas, chocolate chip, green tea…"

"Let's bring back some for the others." Allura suggested. "Maybe they'd like an ice cream too."

"Oh yeah, good idea." Lance pointed at the flavors. "Shiro likes coffee, Pidge is chocolate chip mint, Hunk loves lemon sherbet, and of course, Keith would stick to plain old vanilla. I'll give Coran the rainbow. He'd like that."

Allura gazed at him as he ordered the desserts. She smiled and said fondly, "It seems that you know a lot about your fellow paladins more than I thought. Especially when it comes to Earth things."

Lance grinned bashfully. "Well, I'm just having an educated guess here. I mean, Shiro wouldn't stop sighing about his coffee every morning back at the castle. Pidge, well, she's gonna hate me for this, but it's green and it has chocolate. Hunk's been my friend since forever and he has never changed or tried any other flavor except lemon sherbet."

"And Keith?" Allura asked.

"Keith's lactose intolerant." Lance snickered. "But that didn't stop him from eating a tub of vanilla ice cream in the mess hall and purposely getting sick just to get out of the annual medical checkup when we were fourteen."

Allura laughed. "That sounds about right."

As they flew back to the base, they were greeted by cheers of delight from their makeshift family as they took out the delicacies from the ice box. Keith raised an eyebrow at the vanilla ice cream and some pills Lance handed out to him.

"How'd you know?" Keith asked as he accepted it, taking in the pills and biting into the cold sweet, barely resisting the shiver of pleasure coursing through him.

Lance shrugged. "Medical checkup when you were 14."

Keith choked and Lance had to thump his back a few times. Keith grimaced. "Can't believe you remembered that."

"Of course I do." Lance said cheerfully. Much too cheerfully. "I'm the one who brought you to the med bay."

Keith stiffened and then whipped his head at him. "That was you?"

"You remember?!" Lance gaped at him, offended. "How did you not recognize me that night we rescued Shiro?"

"You were shorter than me." Keith grumbled as he took another bite. "How was I supposed to react when you had a growth spurt over the course of a year?"

"So you do admit that I am taller than you." Lance said smugly.

Keith snorted. "I'm taller than you now."

"That doesn't count! You cheated!"

Just as Keith was about to retort back, Allura called Lance over. Lance patted him on the shoulder. "Talk to you later, buddy."

Lance didn't see Keith's face fall a faction. As he turned around and walked towards Allura, he didn't notice the way Keith's eyes trailed after him. As Lance laughed and swiped a stray smudge of ice cream from the tip of the princess's nose, he didn't perceive Keith looking away and walking out of the room.

...

A few days later, Lance took her to the beach by the West Coast. He watched as beams of sunlight caught through the silver strands of her hair, glowing like a halo around her.

She was ethereal. Lance couldn't believe that she had agreed to this date, that she had agreed to be with him.

And that was the thing. He couldn't believe that this was really happening.

He longed for her for so long and now he had her. But –

 _No. No no no no._ He wasn't going through with that line of thought. He was going to enjoy this time with her thoroughly.

"Lance, I see a star creature!"

Lance grinned as he jogged up to her, ready to give her a lesson on marine life.

Later on, he wondered why he didn't bring her to Varadero Beach.

…

Their next stop was the Seven Wonders of the World. Or what was left of it.

They trekked the Great Wall of China, Lance wheezing as Allura forged on, determined to reach the other end of the wall.

Taj Mahal was next on the list. They were quiet as they took in the rubble of the once grand structure. Half of it was broken – destroyed by Galran blasts. But construction was in place, already on the way to restore the monument.

"I can see that this was once a beautiful palace." Allura said, hands tracing the complex designs on the wall.

Lance touched the marble, the stone cool under this palm. "Yeah, it was. I wish I could show you Earth in its glory. This world is beautiful."

"I can tell." Allura said warmly. "Humanity is young and primitive, but your kind is resilient. You've fought against something you've never encountered before and you came out victorious. And even though your first exposure to alien species wasn't all that kind, you still welcomed us with open arms."

"Yeah, we're weird that way." Lance chuckled. "I've got one more place to show you. It was once considered myth. Until now, that is."

Allura's eyes sparkled. "Oohh I love mysteries!"

Allura looked out of the Red Lion's window as Asia's green forests gave way to sandy deserts. As Lance descended, Allura could see a small dot of a green oasis emerging. Walking out of the lion, Allura marveled at the magnificent structure in front of her, well hidden behind the sand dunes.

Lush vegetation thrived upon and on the walls of terraced steps, the green ecosystem a stark contrast against the barren golden sand. Small aqueducts crisscrossed through the walls, mini waterfalls cascading down the sides, watering the wild array of plants. Birds and butterflies flitted through the air, filling the atmosphere with flurry and song. Hanging plants on arches and soaring pillars swayed in the breeze.

"Welcome to the lost wonder of the ancient world: the Hanging Garden of Babylon." Lance said grandly as they walked through. "Archeologists discovered it under piles and piles of sand. Once the structure was restored, they filled it with all kinds of plants and flowers. And now, what was once considered myth became truth."

Allura walked up the steps that lead to the top, wonderstruck. "It's so beautiful."

Lance watched as she bent over a row of wild crocuses, and said softly, "Yeah. Beautiful."

It wasn't only Middle Eastern trees and plants that were housed in the garden. Roses, lilies, cypress trees and hanging orchids dotted around. Near extinct plants whose seeds were saved years ago thrived in the garden's soil.

However, there was one plant species that Lance wanted to show her. It was something that he remembered from an encyclopedia he had read once before.

"Allura." He called. The princess straightened up and walked towards him. Taking her hand, he led her to a cluster of lily-like plants that was once considered extinct, but suddenly flowered out of nowhere.

"This plant hasn't been officially classified yet, and I actually forgot the name." Lance said sheepishly, "But when you showed us the juniberry flowers back at the castle, I thought it looked pretty similar to these."

"Similar?" Allura's eyes glistened as she cradled the flowers in her hands. "They're exactly the same. These are juniberries."

"Oh." Lance felt warmth blooming in his chest. "Looks like some things are universal, huh."

Allura didn't reply, lost in memories as she gazed down at the remnants of her lost planet.

Lance looked away, giving her a few moments of privacy. His gaze landed on a bush of deep red roses with some blooms in black.

Taking a few steps towards it, he read the description on the white plaque.

The Black Roses of Urfa. It only blooms in a specific location with specific conditions. Budding as a deep lush red, it turns black as summer comes. Unlike its black rose counterparts, this dark beauty symbolizes deep space; change and new beginnings.

This was it, wasn't it? These were the roses that had bloomed within him.

Brushing his fingers on the soft petals, Lance briefly thought of a certain dark-haired companion whose rare smile came as often as the existence of these roses.

A sharp twinge pierced his chest and he abruptly pulled away. Shaking his head, he headed back to Allura.

…

Over the days that Lance and Allura were together, Romelle, Hunk and Pidge's teasing were merciless, but endearing as they congratulated him. There was a proud twinkle in Shiro's eyes, but his smile twinge with a bit of concern. Lance wasn't quite sure what that meant. Coran, though still holding him in probation, trusted him.

Another mystery was Keith.

While his leader supported him in his relationship, Lance rarely saw him these days, much less talked to him. And that fact irked him for some reason.

Seeing Keith talking with James Griffin didn't help much, as he complained to Hunk about how those two hated each other way back during their Garrison days. Hunk had just shrugged and said, "Some people change for the better, Lance."

Despite that, Lance was in cloud nine and his days were filled with bliss.

…

But of course, nothing ever went well.

Not with Lance's rotten luck. Especially not when he grumbled to himself about a certain mullet that went on a mission accompanied by an MFE pilot over Lance.

"Of course, he'd pick Griffin. Who am I kidding?" Lance grumbled, shutting the door of his room behind him. "He'd rather have this pilot over his right-hand man any day. _'It's better that you stay behind.'_ He said. _'This mission is simple enough that it doesn't require two paladins of Voltron.'_ He said. Yeah, but what if something happens, huh?"

Lance grabbed his towel and headed for the bathroom, still mumbling. "Griffin doesn't have the same experience fighting inside a Galra warship as I do. Did you think of that, huh, Keith? You're just gonna bring a newbie into outer space over your comrade in arms 'cause you're buddy-buddy with him?"

"And you were insistent on being buddy-buddy with me, bonding moment and all that." He scoffed. "Go and have a bonding moment with Griffin, see if I care. Not that I care. Cause I don't."

Lance doubled over all of a sudden, coughing out a mix of spit, bile, and blood.

He stilled as he spotted the red petals…

 _No. No no no. That's not – It can't._

Weeks. It had been weeks since he'd last coughed out the roses. He thought it was over. His feelings of happiness – they had overtaken the blooms in his lungs. But apparently it wasn't enough.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he sank on the floor. The burning in his lungs intensified as he came to a realization.

 _It wasn't Allura._

...

It took him several days to come to terms with the situation at hand. Just as much as he was avoiding Allura, he knew he couldn't hold it off for long. He was painfully obvious, with his friends giving him concerned looks. Even **Keith** could sense something had changed when he had gotten back from the mission.

But Lance was living on borrowed time. He couldn't extend this for much longer. Not when his decision came with deadly consequences.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but I'll have to whisk away this princess from your hands," Lance said dramatically as he stepped in a conversation between Allura and a couple of young cadets. They easily relinquished her to him, but not without suggestive looks. Lance ignored that.

With a wave, Lance and Allura walked towards the section of the Atlas where the paladins' rooms were stationed. Allura noticed the grim look on his face. "Lance, are you alright?"

He started at her question and then smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. Stopping in front of his private quarters, he opened the door for her. Feeling apprehensive, Allura stepped inside. He closed the door quietly.

Halting in the middle of his room, Allura turned around and faced him. He slowly walked towards her and then stopped. She asked softly, "Mind finally telling me what's going on?"

Lance was quiet for a few moments. And then he said, "Allura, do you know anything about the Hanahaki Disease?"

She tilted her head. "Not much. I have researched Earth's culture and have come across it once or twice. Is it the one with flowers growing in your lungs?"

Lance breathed out a sigh. "Do you know why?"

Allura frowned. If she followed this line of conversation…"Unrequited love."

"Do you know what happens when that person contracts the disease?"

Allura clenched her fist around her arm. She said softly, "They either forcibly remove it…or choose to let the flowers overflow."

Lance gazed sadly at her and everything clicked.

"Lance…" Allura's hand flew to her mouth, heart thudding in her chest. "You don't mean…"

"I'm sorry, Allura." Lance said sorrowfully. "You don't deserve something like this. I'm so sorry."

Her body stiffened and there was a flash of hurt in her eyes. Lance felt terrible. He felt as though he had led her on. The past few weeks had been the best weeks of his life since he returned to Earth.

But with the flowers returning, those weeks were dashed as mere illusion to a romance yearned.

Allura wrapped her arms around herself. She had a guilty expression in her face. "I...haven't been completely honest with you too, Lance. The truth is – I actually – about-"

Lance finished for her. "You're still in love with Lotor."

Allura bit her bottom lip, willing herself not to cry. She said softly, "I am so sorry, Lance."

"I'm sorry too." Lance said sadly. He wanted it to be her. He liked her from the start, and as time progressed, they became close friends. Lance knew, if given time, they would have had a chance.

But he was drifting away from her and his emotions. He loved her still, but not like that. Not in the way that grew flowers in his lungs and thorns up his throat. Not in the way breathing came easier and harder. Not in the way his heart clenched at the mere thought of the fiery passion. Not in the way he would get lost in dusk violet eyes.

He loved her, but not in the way he had fallen in love with Keith.

"I wish..." There were so many things he wished for. He wished that she had reciprocated his feelings from the start, so he didn't need to have literal flowers within him. He wished the flowers would wilt, but it was for naught. He wished for many things. But he wished for reciprocated love, most of all.

"I wish we can still remain as friends." Lance finally said with a resigned sigh.

"Oh, Lance." Allura stood up to her toes and kissed him on the cheek. She smiled sweetly. "Nothing is ever going to change that."

He gave her an equally grateful smile in return. As they embraced, a sense of calm settled within him. It had been years since he had been battling with his emotions, keeping them in check. But, as he accepted the fact that he had loved Allura, but now didn't, it was as though he had taken back some semblance of control.

Allura leaned back and gave him a teasing grin, "So do you have a name for this person you've fallen in love with?"

Lance flushed red. "I don't – can't –"

"Oh please, Lance, I've known you long enough to know that what you have for Keith is something more than mere rivalry," Allura said airily as she sat back down on the bed. She chuckled as he said nothing, his blushing cheeks and silence was answer enough.

She asked, "Are you going to tell him?"

Lance shook his head. Allura stared at him in shock.

"Lance, you cannot not tell him!" She berated. "Who knows how long you have-"

"Less than two weeks," Lance said, "12 quintents, more or less."

Dismay was written all over her face. She pleaded, "There has to be another way. We could go to another planet, maybe there's a cure or –"

"There is no cure," Lance said gently, sorrow deep in the lines under his eyes. "This disease is uniquely human. No other diseases like this exist outside Earth."

"But with surgery-"

"Allura," Lance put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her mid-sentence, "I'd rather die than never love him again. I don't want to lose this."

"You can't just sacrifice your life for love!" Allura said, trying to make him see reason. "What are you so afraid of that you can't tell him the feelings you have for him?"

"Rejection." Lance smiled ruefully. "Whether I tell him or not, it'll still be the same. He doesn't like me that way. So it's best for him to think that we're only friends."

"You're my friend too, Lance," Allura said, clutching his hands. "Please, I've lost too many people dear to me. I can't – don't want to lose you too."

Lance squeezed her hands before doubling over, violently coughing. Red and black petals coated in blood splattered on the once spotless white floor. Hacking, Lance pulled out a full bloom, cut off at the head. He grimaced as the blood dripped down on the floor. It would take only a few days for him to cough out a full flower: bloom, leaves, thorns and all.

"No..." Tears ran down her face as she watched him flush the rose down the toilet and cleaned himself up and then the floor. "Lance, there has to be another way. He has to love you."

Lance faced her, gently wiping a stray tear away with his thumb. "You can't force love, Allura."

She clutched his shirt as if she could anchor him in this world. She asked hoarsely, "Is there really nothing I can do?"

"Say goodbye to Blue and Red for me." Lance said softly. "And I hope you find a new red paladin soon. I think one of the MFE pilots could qualify. His name's Griffin. He'll be a good right-hand man to Keith."

"Don't say that." Allura sobbed. "A bond just can't be formed as easily as snapping a finger."

"No, it can't," Lance said absently. "But I'll be dead."

He chuckled. "For all the fighting that we've done, who would have thought that Lance would go down by a bunch of flowers. Pretty fitting for the Loverboy, don't you think?"

Allura said nothing, opting to just keep her dear friend close as much as she could. Lance sighed and stroked her hair, resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I'll miss you," Lance said, almost inaudibly.

Allura sobbed. "I'll miss you more."

As they stood there in the room, just basking in each other's presence, Lance wondered if his decision was right. But to never feel love again? Especially towards Keith? He couldn't. Not after all the bonding moments that they had (whether it be mentioned or not). They had finally grown civil with each other. Heck, Keith even showed that he trusted him more.

Lance couldn't ruin it. And he wouldn't be able to once he was dead.

"He has a right to know." Allura leaned back and studied him. "Keith deserves to know how you feel about him. That's the least you can do before you – before..."

She bit her lip and looked down, a stray hair falling on her face. Lance leaned down and tucked it behind her ear.

"I'll tell him. Just before I go." Lance said, anxiety and resolve settling in his eyes. "I'll tell him 'I love you'."

It was at that moment the Keith walked in the room, only to pause as he caught the scene in front of him and the last three words Lance had said.

Allura and Lance looked at him shock and then jumped away from each other.

"Keith! I didn't hear you come in." Allura said nervously. "Was there something you need?"

"Shiro asked me to get you," Keith said, refusing to meet both their eyes. "Something about the Olkarions coming to Earth, so he needed you to open another wormhole."

"Alright, I'm on my way," Allura said seriously. She turned to Lance gave him a sad smile. "I'll see you later."

"Later, princess." Lance grinned as he waved goodbye, only for his hand to falter as he realized that he and Keith were alone in the room.

Keith, thankfully, started to leave. But of course, his impulse was always an enemy in the most awkward of moments.

"Hey, Keith."

 _Quiznack._

Keith stopped and cautiously looked over his shoulder, his face unreadable. "What?"

"You're gonna go train, right?" Lance walked up to him. "I'm coming with you."

Keith stared at him incredulously. "You wanna train?"

"Yeah?" Lance raised an eyebrow at that. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," Keith grumbled and looked away. Lance just waited, already used to his friend's weird mood swings. But then Keith looked up and smirked. "Just don't complain when I beat your ass."

"Wha – that's my line!"

Entering the arena, those already occupying the mat paused as the two paladins walked in. Suddenly surrounded by the crowd, Lance just waved and grinned posing for selfies as Keith walked off to the weapons rack, his one-track mind set into training.

"Hey, Lance."

Lance looked up, only barely catching the metal staff that was thrown at him. "Keith! You could've warned me!"

"Say that to the Galra when they sneak up on you." Keith shot back, spinning the staff in his hands before squaring down into a ready position, eyes narrowed with his gaze piercing. Lance would be lying if he didn't say that he found that quite hot.

With a wave goodbye to his fans, he sauntered towards Keith, smirking when Keith's eyes roamed down his figure before snapping up to him once again. With only his brows furrowing together as an indication, Keith lashed out to him.

Their staffs clashed with a resounding clang, resonance piercing in the air. With a grunt, Keith pushed him, causing him to stumble. He swiped his legs underneath, causing Lance to fall and land on his ass. Before Lance could blink, the tip of the staff was under his chin.

"One for me," Keith said smugly. Lance just rolled his eyes as he accepted the stretched out hand. Only to flip Keith around and, using his leg as a trap, pushed the shorter boy down on the ground. They fell with a yelp.

Lance leaned down and breathed in Keith's ear, "that's one for me."

He felt Keith shiver underneath him, but before he could think more of it, he was flipped over, staff pushing him down.

Lance froze, staring up at violet eyes that seemed to pierce through him. Keith was taking ragged breaths, pupils blown wide as he pinned him down.

There was a strange tension in the air as they stayed in the position long enough for it to be awkward. Lance was the first one to break the silence. With a cough, he said, "So, uhh, either you're gonna get off me or you're sending signals that you'd prefer to top."

"What?" Keith frowned in confusion, only for it to clear into mortification and a full on blush as he caught the innuendo. Scrambling to his feet, he quickly put a good amount of distance between them. "You're ridiculous. And you fight dirty."

"You can't help it if you've got like, two older brothers, an older sister and a twin all fighting for our parents' attention." Lance grinned. "Home is basically a war zone in itself."

Keith raised an eyebrow, but commented no further, his lips only quirking up in response.

The continued at it a few more times before Lance gave up, insisting that they leave it at 1 – 1 before his image could be ruined. Keith snorted at that. It was an 8 – 5 with Keith on the winning side, thank you very much.

Returning the staffs back to its proper place, Keith followed Lance out to the kitchen.

...

"Hunkahunk, whatcha making?" Lance greeted as he draped himself over his best friend.

"Macaroons." Hunk said without looking up, face deep in concentration.

"Isn't that like, the hardest thing to make?" Lance asked as he removed himself and peeked at the side, amazed at the wide array of primary colored dots on the tray.

Keith grabbed two water bottles and tossed one over to Lance before hopping up on the counter. "I see you're doing the Voltron colors."

"Yeah." Hunk said, adding another glob on the row.

"Mind if we helped?" Lance asked with a swig from the water bottle.

At this, Hunk straightened up and raised an eyebrow at him. "Remember the last time you helped in the kitchen?"

Lance winced. "It wasn't **that** bad-"

"You set the stove on fire." Hunk raised his arms in disbelief. "How can you set something on fire when it's just boiling eggs?"

"Those were really elusive eggs." Lance mumbled.

Hunk wagged a finger at him. "Oh ho ho ho no, sir. You were too busy flirting with Allura, you forgot the eggs."

Lance reddened as he denied the flirting. While he was busy arguing with Hunk, Keith was behind the yellow paladin, fingers sneaking to the bowl of the first batch of finished macaroons. Lance spotted him and started distracting Hunk with new vigor.

Before Hunk could blink, Keith had snatched the bowl of goodies and hid it behind his back. Grabbing Lance around the neck, he said loudly, "Wow, would you look at the time. Our break's gone on for too long. Back to training."

Lance caught on and said in the most overtop voice he could muster, "Right. Of course, team captain. Well, see you later, Hunk buddy."

Hunk stared at them as they slowly inched out of the kitchen. "Since when have you two gotten along so well?"

"What are you saying Hunk?" Lance laughed. "We've been best buds for the longest time."

Hunk raised an eyebrow at this. They were biting their lips, faces red for some odd reason as they walked out of sight. Shrugging, he turned back to the oven to take out the next batch of macaroons. Only to see – or the lack thereof – of a bowl of macaroons.

"Lance! Keith!"

The two paladins snickered as they popped the treats in their mouths and exchanged fist bumps, rushing off to avoid the wrath of their cook.

…

"Pidgey Pidge."

Pidge looked up from her computer. "What?"

Lance strode in the computer lab, whistling at the gadgets that surrounded her. Various programs ran on the screens dispersed in several corners of the room. Wires snaked around their feet, jacked up to several monitors with Pidge in the middle of it all.

"Don't you get bored of being surrounded with all these screens? These can't good for your skin or your eyes." Lance tutted.

Pidge rolled her eyes. "If all you came here for is to talk to me about my skincare routine, no thanks. I've got better things to do."

"Aw, c'mon Pidge." Lance crouched down beside her and slowly began closing the lid of her laptop. She glared at him and he drew his hands away. "We're back home on Earth. We've fixed the planet. We've got lions that can travel the world within seconds. Don't tell me you aren't tempted to go explore the world without having to spend money on plane tickets."

Pidge paused. Having spent 14 years on Earth, she thought she was done with the actual world and would rather live in virtual reality. But after the escapade on space, "Well," Pidge adjusted her glasses, "I've always wanted to see the Great Pyramids."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lance leaped up to his feet and grabbed her hand. "Let's go!"

With little protesting, Pidge let Lance drag her to their lions where they raced to Egypt, taking in the sights and landing on top of the tallest pyramid itself. They took pictures beside the Sphinx, comparing its size to the Green and Red lions. They took several selfies, Lance in a breezy Hawaiian shirt and Pidge in a hideously large hat to block out the rays of the sun which – sadly, did not stop its onslaughter on her heat sensitive skin.

Lance grinned as Pidge chattered excitedly about the mathematical genius of the pyramids and how they were built with such simple tools of brick and wood.

By the end of the day, as they returned en route to the Garrison, Lance coughed and hacked out petals of red roses. The light on his dashboard blinked. Wiping away the trail of blood from his chin, he answered the call.

"Lance, you okay?" Pidge asked in concern. Lance waved her concern away.

"M'fine. Just some sand dust tickling my throat."

Pidge hummed in agreement. "I swear, it just gets everywhere. I'm pretty sure there's still some stuck inside my sock."

Lance laughed at that, ignoring the burning scratches inside his throat.

…

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Shiro looked up as the door opened, a head of brown hair popping in with a sheepish grin. The Atlas captain smiled as he set down the papers on the desk. "Hey, Lance. How are doing?"

"I should be the one asking you that. You've been stuck on that chair for so long, I'm starting to wonder where your butt ends and where the chair starts." Lance joked as he walked in, two mugs in his hand, black and blue. Shiro rolled his eyes, but a smile on his lips showed that he was humoured. Lance handed the black mug to Shiro who accepted it gratefully. He raised an eyebrow at the black coffee sweetened enough to rot teeth.

"Keith told me how you liked it." Lance answered Shiro's unasked question as he settled on the sofa across the desk. Shiro hummed as he took a sip.

He watched Lance carefully. For a young man quite loud on an hourly basis, it was off-putting to see him reserved. Carefully, Shiro asked, "Something on your mind?"

Lance cradled the blue mug in his hands, watching his reflection listlessly on the tea's surface. With slight hesitation, he asked, "Shiro, um…you dated Professor Adam, right?"

"Yes, I did." Shiro said slowly, setting the mug down. "Any particular reason why?"

Shiro waited patiently as Lance sipped his tea. He could tell where this conversation was going – or more like, he was waiting for this conversation to come. He had seen the glances stolen between Lance and Keith, the hesitance of being too near or too touchy, and Lance's frowns when Keith had to leave for another mission with the Blades or when he spent too much time with that boy Griffin. So to say that Shiro saw this coming was an understatement.

"I…" Lance stopped. He tried again, "How did you know?"

"How did I know…?" Shiro prompted him.

Lance swallowed thickly. "How – when did you know you like someone…of the same gender?"

"Ah," Shiro exhaled. "Well, I've always found men more attractive than women. I just didn't realize until I met Adam that aside from finding him attractive, that I would actually want to date him."

Lance, who was staring at him with wide eyes, glanced back down. "Could I – could one also like both girls…and guys?"

"Lance, no one's judging you if you like more than one gender." Shiro said gently as he stood up and walked around the desk to crouch down until they were eye to eye. He grasped Lance's shoulder with his human hand. "Knowing you who are is the first step of being a better person. Know that I'm on your side and I'm proud of you for telling me something this important. I know it's all new to you, but I'm sure you'll make the right decision in the end."

Setting down his mug on the table, Lance threw his arms around the older man. Shiro stumbled back at the force in surprise, but softened as he hugged the boy back. He heard a quiet thank you and chuckled, patting his brown hair. "Any time, Lance. Any time."

Settling back, Lance wiped away the few stray tears in embarrassment. Shiro grinned as he sat on the chair beside Lance's. Grabbing his coffee, he took a long draft and said cheekily, "So…do I need to give you the shovel talk?"

Lance promptly choked on his tea.

…

Keith stepped out of the training room, wiping the sweat off with his towel as he headed back to his room. Just as he walked down the corridors, he spotted a certain lanky figure exit the med bay and hurried down the hall. With a frown, he followed him.

"What are you doing here?"

Lance yelped, almost dropping the bottle as he swiftly turned around, hiding it behind him. "Keith!"

Keith raised an eyebrow at the odd behavior but didn't give any further comment. Lance was weird enough as it is. "What are you doing out late at night?"

"Nothing! That's none of your business, mullet." Lance squeaked. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Keith suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"

Keith rolled his eyes. "I'm done training, as I always do every night."

"Suspicious." Lance jeered.

Keith snorted. "If you've forgotten, Allura's room is on the other side of the ship." Spotting the bottle Lance failed to hide, he asked curiously, "What's that behind your back?"

"Nothing!" Lance replied quickly. Too quickly.

Keith gave him a side eye and then suddenly grabbed for it. Quick with his reflexes, Lance darted out of reach, protesting all the way. "Wait – no, Keith – stop it – I will sue!"

The black paladin just laughed as he swooped down low, sweeping Lance off his feet and snatched the bottle out of the air.

"I win." Keith said smugly down at Lance who was panting hard. Too hard for a short jostling that they did. Alarm bells started ringing as Lance began to cough. He looked at the label of the bottle.

Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Specifically modified to slow down the growth of flowers in the lungs.

"What the fuck?" Keith stared in horror and anger as he took in the sight of Lance on his knees, coughing out full bloom after full bloom of red and black roses. A few green leaves were in the mix as well.

Lance was on the final stages of the Hanahaki Disease.

Lance met his eyes and shook his head. "Keith, don't."

"Fuck it, Lance! I'm not letting you die on me." And with that said, Keith slammed the emergency button.

The whole ship flashed red as sirens wailed in the corridor they were in. Lance could only hiss in pain as Keith grabbed him and threw his arm around his shoulders, hoisting him up to his feet.

"Keith, it's too late." Lance said weakly.

Keith growled. "No, it's not. You're still breathing and if you're still breathing, you're still alive."

"Buddy, you gotta-" Lance coughed again, blood dribbling down his chin. "You gotta let me go."

"Never." Keith said fiercely, causing Lance's cheeks to heat up. "You're a paladin of Voltron. You're tougher than this."

"I don't think I can fight anything that's killing me from the inside, mullet." Lance laughed, the nickname endearing in his tongue.

Footsteps drew nearer and then the rest of the paladins rounded the corner.

"Lance!"

Lance was about to give them his signature greeting of a smirk and finger guns, but then he slipped into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard was Keith frantically shouting his name.

…

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

The paladins watched in solemn silence as the monitor showed Lance's slowing heartbeat. Another monitor displayed his set of lungs, with flowers crowding in the spaces and crawling up his esophagus. Tubes were hooked onto him, slowing down the disease as much as possible while they figured out how to save him.

Hunk was already bawling, with Pidge wrapped in his arms. She patted his arm softly, silently crying as well. Shiro had his head down, hands rubbing his forehead, shoulders sagging with helplessness. Allura had Lance's hands in her grasp, looking at him with worry. And Keith...

Keith stood as far away from the bed as possible, with his arms crossed. To the untrained eye, one would think he didn't care. But upon closer inspection, one could see the red rimmed eyes, the grim frown on his lips, and the red streaks on the side of his arms where he dug his fingers in, as he tried to keep himself together.

"He didn't say anything." Hunk cried. "Why didn't he say anything? We're best friends. We're supposed to tell each other everything."

Pidge answered, "But you know how Lance is. He doesn't say anything that would make you worry."

"And we had so much fun too." Hunk sniffed. "All that time, he was dying and I didn't even notice."

"Blame it on his stupid concealers." Pidge's grip tightened around him. "He had always been good at acting."

"But who is it? Who's the one he fell in love with?"

"Allura." Everyone looked up at Keith who was glaring at the princess. "You and Lance are dating. Aren't you supposed to be the one he loves? Don't you love him?"

"I do love him!" Allura said defensively.

Keith pushed away from the wall and strode towards her. Anger was seeping off of him.

"Then why does he still have flowers in his lungs?" He demanded. "You say love him but he's dying! He fucking dying because you didn't-"

"Keith, that's enough."

Shiro sighed as Keith gave one last furious look at the princess before storming back to his usual spot. Standing up, Shiro walked towards Allura who was crying and wrapped his arms around her.

"You don't understand." Allura said to Keith, eyes brimming with sorrow and...jealousy? "You, who had every chance to make things right, ran away."

"Allura." Shiro warned. He didn't want a fight to start between them. It was as though Voltron was breaking because its very heart was dying.

"No, Shiro, Keith has to understand." Allura pushed him away and squared her shoulders. "Lance and I ended things a few weeks back."

"What?!" Was everyone's reaction.

"I loved him." Allura admitted and then looked at Keith. "But he didn't love me back."

The groundbreaking revelation sent everyone into shocked silence. A feeling of hope that Keith had pushed to the furthest bottom of his heart resurfaced. So if Lance didn't love Allura, who was it?

Keith watched her closely, and then said, "You know, don't you? You know who it is."

"It's not my place to tell." Allura said quietly.

"Fuck that!" Keith snapped. "Lance is dying right in front of your eyes and you won't do anything when you have the solution in your hands!"

"Then what would you do, Keith?" Allura took a step forward defiantly. "What would you have done if he loved you but you didn't love him back?"

Keith stilled.

"Whether he tells you or not," Allura looked down, biting her bottom lip, "he's still going to die because you don't feel the same."

Keith staggered backwards as the full fact hit him. Lance loves him. Lance loves him and he's dying because of it.

His head whipped to the hospital bed. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. It was a mixture of disbelief, anger, and desperation. Keith made his way to the bed and grabbed Lance's collar.

"You fucking asshole!" Keith growled. Lance lay unconscious, still sedated. The rest of the team tried to pry him off, but he relented. "You're so selfish. You're fucking selfish."

They all watched as Keith sagged, as though everything had sapped the strength out of him. "You'd just go without hearing what I had to say? Why do you always have to be the one to say the last line?"

"Keith..." Hunk began cautiously, "Do you...?"

Keith stayed quiet for a moment, and then mumbled, "Since the bonding moment."

The four other paladins stared at him in shock and wonder.

"So, that time when you left -"

"I left so he didn't have to." Keith admitted.

Allura said, "And the two years?"

Keith chuckled bitterly. "I thought I'd move on. But the visions – they didn't really help."

Shiro smiled sadly at him. "It's hard to forget someone who means a lot to you – even after all these years."

Keith gave an equally forlorn smile at his brother. He knew Shiro was talking about his dead fiancé.

"Maybe there is a way to save him." Hunk said slowly. "I mean, all you need to do is to let Lance know that you feel the same way."

They stared at him. Keith raised an eyebrow, "How do you propose we do that?"

"By stopping the sedatives and waking Lance up." Pidge said, catching up to the idea. "Then you can tell him how you feel."

"What?" Keith stared at the two. "That'll cause the flowers to grow even faster, maybe even killing him before anything else!"

"It's better than keeping him in a comatose state and watching him slowly deteriorate." Hunk snapped. "I won't stand letting something like this happen to my best friend when I know I could've done something to prevent it."

Keith looked at Lance's sleeping figure. Emotions battled inside him.

Shiro stepped forward and touched his arm. He said gently, "You're the only hope he has left."

Keith eyed his sincere expression and pursed his lips. Clenching his fists, he fixed his eyes on Hunk and said with newfound determination, "Let's do it."

…

Pidge looked up from her computer, fingers hovering over the deactivate button. "Keith, you only get one chance at doing this. Are you ready?"

Keith nodded. They watched with bated breath as the sedatives cut off their supply. Just as it began leaving Lance's system, the roses began growing. Slowly, Lance's eyes fluttered and then opened up blearily. Before he could say anything, Keith slammed his lips into his.

Well, that was a way to wake up.

Lance's eyelids widened and then closed as he raised his hands to snake around the back of Keith's neck, fingers brushing the edges of his hair. Startled, Keith pulled away.

"Hey, hothead," Lance said hoarsely, "I knew you were a 'shoot first ask questions later' kind of guy, but I didn't expect this."

Keith just stared at him, eyes shining, lips swollen from the force of the kiss.

"I love you."

Lance gaped at him. Keith's cheeks flushed red, with the blush quickly spreading to the tips of his ears and down his neck. He said, a little clearer this time, "I love you, Lance. You mean a lot to me."

Knowing that his brother was going to go into a tirade soon, Shiro ushered the rest of the team outside, leaving the two boys to sort out their feelings and also partly to save himself from second-hand embarrassment.

Keith pressed on, words stumbling out of his mouth, three years of unspoken feelings finally pouring out in the open. "I think you're like sunshine when you smile. You laugh with the whole of you. You're fucking stubborn, but I can't help but like that as well."

"You're the sharpshooter. The others might not take you seriously, but I do. I think you're the best that I've ever seen. You claim you're not, but you're a goofball as well." Keith rambled on, "But that's a good thing because you make everyone happy. You make me happy."

"And," Keith surged forward, gripping his shoulders, "you're so fucking pretty. I don't know what you do, maybe it's your skin care routine, but I've always...wanted to...touch you."

Keith petered off, dread and horrific embarrassment coursing through his veins as he realized the word vomit he just did.

"Wow." Lance breathed out. "Pinch me cause I feel like I've already died and gone to heaven."

Keith frowned. "Don't joke about that."

"Yeah, okay, bad move." Lance said sheepishly. "But still, Keith, man, you gotta warn a guy first. I feel like my heart's jumping out of my throat."

"And the flowers?"

They both looked at the monitor. Only a few blooms were left scattered in his lungs, but even those were closing and shriveling into nothingness. They had beaten it.

Keith loved him back.

A sort of giddiness grew in him, spreading warmth all over. That giddiness turned into giggles and then peals of laughter. Keith raised an eyebrow, but with laughter quite addicting, he joined in as well.

"We're both idiots, huh?" Lance chuckled.

"You said it, not me." Keith quipped back.

"I didn't know - didn't think you'd…" Lance paused and looked down, fists clenching the sheets. "I thought you'd never feel the same."

"So did I." Keith said. "You were the straightest guy I've ever met."

"I thought so too." Lance laughed. "Until I fell for your mullet."

"Always with the hair." Keith rolled his eyes. Both of them fell back into silence, contemplating what just transpired. Keith trailed his hands down and wrapped them around Lance's wrist. He felt the steady pulse underneath, a reassurance that Lance was still alive.

"So you really meant it?" Lance asked shyly. "You like me?"

Keith gave him a flat look. "Which part of me kissing you and saying I love you and you mean a lot to me did you not understand?"

"You could try the kissing me part again?" Lance said cheekily. "I mean, I was half awake so I didn't really get the - mmmfp!"

This one was better. Way better.

Lance sighed as his lips moved in time with Keith's, senses tingling with each touch of their lips, skin, feelings. Short pecks, long and deep kisses, time passed unnoticed.

Keith pulled away, marveling at the young man beneath him. Lance's cheeks were flushed as he gazed back, emotions swelling in those ocean blue eyes.

Lance reached out and brushed off the black bangs away from Keith's face, tucking the strands behind his ear.

"Don't go dying on me, sharpshooter." Keith said.

Lance grinned at him. "Back at ya, samurai."

* * *

 **This is the longest Klance fanfic I've written to date. I'm glad you reached the end. Sorry if there were some mistakes or anything inconsistent or smth. This wasn't beta checked and unedited (ik sue me)**

 **Thank you for reading! See y'all next time!**


End file.
